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Assassinatrix02
6:25:47 PM Rycroft: When last we left, professional Assassinatrix Crow was en route to the lair of a protovampire to kill it alongside three other Bloodhounds. 6:28:07 PM Crow: Crow is excessively well-armed. 6:29:11 PM Rycroft: What is she packing? 6:30:09 PM Crow: Crow has matched machetes, a couple of hunting/hand-to-hand knives and a couple of handguns. She doesn't generally rely on the handguns. 6:31:14 PM Rycroft: Vampires *do* have a tendancy to turn their noses up at bullets. But a headshot can act as a pretty good distraction. 6:32:13 PM Crow: Crow has them for that, and for any bad humans. 6:38:17 PM Rycroft: The second and third generation afflicted humans -- vampires created by a proto, or another afflicted human, tend to surround themsleves with humans. 6:47:15 PM Crow: Crow shoots them sometimes. 6:47:42 PM Rycroft: Well, sometimes you gotta. 6:49:04 PM Crow: Crow does not especially love that part of her job, but what the hell, it's necessary too. 6:50:04 PM Rycroft: Often those humans are armed with guns and violence! 6:51:19 PM Crow: Crow objects less then. 6:54:26 PM Rycroft: The helicopter drops you off in a rather unassuming stretch of rocky Nevada desert. You have a GPS that will point you toward the silo that the proto is holed up in. 6:54:53 PM Crow: Crow brings two bottles of water. 6:55:52 PM Rycroft: It's pretty warm here! 6:56:18 PM Crow: Crow starts walking, keeping her mind pretty blank in case anything there can sense that. 6:57:47 PM Rycroft: You find a small shack tucked inbetween two hunks of rock. 7:00:20 PM Crow: Crow investigates it, on guard. 7:00:31 PM Rycroft: The door is locked by a heavy padlock. But the lock looks new. It's shiny and not full of grit and grime from the desert. 7:01:45 PM Crow: Crow tries breaking down the door. 7:03:08 PM Rycroft: The shack is sheet metal, but it's old. The first time you kick it, the hinges give a bit! 7:03:36 PM Crow: Crow kicks it again! 7:04:18 PM Rycroft: You bust it down! 7:05:27 PM Crow: Crow goes in, machete first! 7:05:46 PM Rycroft: Inside, the floor is cement and there's a hatch leading down, like a manhole cover. 7:08:41 PM Rycroft: The location coincides with where the silo should be, so this is most likely an acess point to it. 7:10:56 PM Crow: Crow grunts, and tries to open the cover! 7:12:29 PM Rycroft: By applying the scientific principle of leverage, you manage to get it open! 7:15:27 PM Crow: Crow peers down there. 7:18:10 PM Rycroft: There's a ladder going down! 7:19:03 PM Crow: Crow heads down it. 7:19:18 PM | Edited 7:19:47 PM Rycroft: It leads down into DAHHKNESS. 7:19:43 PM Rycroft: However, it is a bit cooler down here. 7:23:30 PM Crow: Crow is grateful; she's not dressed for the heat. She doesn't put a light on, and allows her eyes to acclimate instead. 7:24:21 PM Rycroft: You think this is some kind of maintenance access. As your eyes adjust, you find yourself in a narrow, no-frills concrete hallway. There's a cool breeze coming from somwhere up ahead. 7:24:47 PM Crow: Crow starts walking in that direction, sword first. 7:31:46 PM Rycroft: You stop just short of a ledge! You've found the silo proper! You're in a maitenance shaft that apparently runs along it, where catwalks used to be a attached to. 7:55:38 PM Crow: Crow sneaks along it! 7:58:32 PM Rycroft: Spying over the edge of the silo pit, you think you see some light down there. 7:59:18 PM Crow: Crow looks for a way down. 8:02:52 PM Rycroft: You find a ladder leading down! 8:04:06 PM Crow: Crow heads down it! 8:06:02 PM Rycroft: This place is completely unguarded, as well. You've never seen this with any other raid on a vampire's lair. No guards, no protections. 8:06:33 PM Crow: Crow frowns. It's a trap? 8:14:03 PM Crow: Crow keeps going nonetheless. 8:18:56 PM Rycroft: You start to hear something? Sounds like music, coming from the bottom of the pit. 8:19:49 PM Crow: Crow frowns, and heads in that direction. 8:20:40 PM Rycroft: I assume she's being super quiet, right? 8:21:13 PM Crow: Crow is pretty stealthy! And she's trying her best. 8:26:44 PM Rycroft: You make your way down to the bottom of the silo. Jensen's voice crackles over your earpiece. There's a lot of interference. "--others will be making their insertions soon. Remember, as far as you're concerned, you're trying to kill the Alpha. Don't worry about htem. Don't reply aloud -- click once to acknowledge." 8:27:02 PM Crow: Crow clicks once. 8:27:13 PM Rycroft: His voice gives way to static! 8:31:20 PM Rycroft: The music gets a bit louder as you get closer. You recognize it vaguely, but can't place it yet. You can't hear enough of it. 8:32:35 PM Crow: Crow frowns. 8:32:39 PM Crow: Crow keeps going. 8:37:05 PM Rycroft: You get closer! To the source of light and the music. You recognize the song: It's the Gilligan's Island Theme. 8:39:07 PM Crow: Crow shakes her head. 8:39:16 PM Crow: Crow thinks but does not say: Vampires are so weird. 8:46:24 PM Rycroft: You find yourself at the bottom of the silo. The light down here comes from cheapo slaps with florescent bulbs. The silo is hardly the homiest environment, but someone has clearly made an effort -- There's a cheap rug thrown over the rough concrete. 8:52:03 PM Rycroft: You're in a bedroom! A twin mattress is thrown on the floor with some basic bedclothes. There's a stack of books next to the bed -- Moby Dick, Wuthering Heights, Treasure Island, a bunch of airport fantasy paperbacks, and a stack of ARchie Comics. 8:52:13 PM Rycroft: The sounds of the TV are coming from the next room over. 8:53:23 PM Crow: Crow shakes her head at the comics. Clear indication of evil! She sneaks toward the next room! 8:56:12 PM Rycroft: This room seems to have been made into a living/dining/everything room -- a chair, a tv with a dvd player plugged into it. Over there is a minifridge, a microwave, a hotplate, and a toaster oven. Someone's sitting in the chair. Whoever it is has dark hair. 9:02:02 PM Crow: Crow tries to get a sense of whether it's a vampire or not. 9:02:38 PM Rycroft: Definitely not human. 9:06:36 PM Rycroft: Whoever it is is leaning forward toward the TV. 9:06:52 PM Crow: Put your hands up and turn around. 9:09:20 PM Rycroft: The creature replies in a male voice. He has a very strange accent. "Hold on. I think they might get off the island this time." 9:10:11 PM Crow: Spoiler alert: They don't. 9:10:22 PM Crow: Doesn't *anybody* watch TV anymore? 9:10:29 PM Crow: The great American pastime? Come *on* people. 9:11:35 PM Crow: Now stand up like a nice eldritch abomination. 9:11:46 PM Crow: So that I can cut off your head and go home and eat chocolate cheesecake. 9:11:47 PM Rycroft: Creature: Really? Seemed like they had a foolproof plan-- oh. Gilligan. Why don't they just eat him already? 9:12:10 PM Crow: Because real people don't eat other people. 9:12:13 PM Rycroft: Creature: They must need protein! 9:12:14 PM Crow: Crow shoots him in the head a couple of times. 9:12:24 PM Rycroft: Creature: Ow. 9:12:31 PM Crow: Also *god* that is a creepy thing to say. 9:12:42 PM Crow: Crow runs at him with the sword. 9:14:11 PM Rycroft: He still doesn't get up or turn toward, you, just holds up and rubs the bullet wounds with his completely human hand, getting surprisingly human blood on them. Then he's suddenly just -- not there and you're lunging at an emtpy chair. 9:14:32 PM Crow: ... cheater. 9:14:40 PM Crow: Crow looks around for him, turning slowly. 9:17:30 PM Crow: There was a movie after the show ended, though. 9:20:17 PM Rycroft: Proto: Please don't spoil it for me. I don't think I die here. I might, though. Been hard to tell what's going to happen to me since I got here. 9:20:28 PM Rycroft: He is turning on an electric kettle. 9:20:51 PM Crow: ... you *don't* have time for tea, I'm going to *kill* you. 9:21:07 PM Crow: ... vampires don't even *drink* tea! 9:22:25 PM Rycroft: Proto: And you're an expert on what vampires do, are you? 9:22:47 PM Crow: Yep. Killed dozens of ya. 9:23:00 PM Crow: Crow shoots him a couple more times, mostly just to be annoying. 9:24:53 PM Rycroft: You get a better look at him -- he looks extremely normal. A human male with pale skin, late twenties, early thirties maybe. Good looking, but not Vampire King-good looking. He has blue eyes, and is wearing jeans and a t-shirt. which now has several holes in it. 9:25:10 PM Crow: You are a terrible vampire. 9:25:25 PM Rycroft: Proto: You've killed mutated humans. 9:25:56 PM Crow: Oh yeah? What's the difference? 9:28:03 PM Rycroft: Proto: Hmm. There's no way I can answer that without being completely pretentious, is there? 9:28:30 PM Crow: Vampires *are* completely pretentious. 9:28:48 PM Crow: Crow is mainly stalling for time now. 9:31:25 PM Rycroft: Proto: I'd blame you people for that. Humans. You people *love* the vampires of your fiction. So when a human finds themselves empowered and needing to feed on blood, gifted with strength and hypnotic powers, what else are they to do? Buy a bunch of black leather and call themselves something like 'Cordelia Ravensong' or 'Vincent Nightshade'. 9:32:08 PM Crow: You've seen Buffy! 9:32:55 PM Crow: ... figures, I meet the perfect guy and have to chop his head off. Oh well. 9:33:04 PM Crow: Crow walks to him with the machete out this time. 9:33:33 PM Rycroft: Proto: Can I ask you something? 9:34:17 PM Crow: Anything, sweetheart. 9:35:12 PM Rycroft: Proto: Why do you want to kill me? 9:35:46 PM Crow: A. you eat people and B. it's my job. 9:39:45 PM Rycroft: Proto: I don't *eat* people. I drink blood. This does not require me to kill anyone. I was being hyperbolic about Gilligan. He's just.... such an *idiot*. 9:40:24 PM Crow: Humans do *not* talk about eating people. And you're a leech. You know, if you bite the wrong person you *can* kill them. That puts a lot of stress on a body! 9:40:55 PM Rycroft: Proto: I've been doing this for a long time. I've not killed anyone. Definitely less people than you. 9:41:29 PM Crow: Well now you're just being rude. I haven't killed any *people* who haven't tried to kill me first. 9:47:49 PM Rycroft: Proto: You sure? 9:48:55 PM Crow: Positive! 9:49:02 PM Crow: Crow slices at him with the machete. 9:50:48 PM Rycroft: He dodges, but she stll slices his arm. "Ow. I haven't killed anyone, you know. Since I came through the Breach I've just laid low." 9:51:15 PM Crow: Why didn't you go back? 9:51:27 PM Crow: Even if that IS true, you're still just leeching off humans. 9:52:04 PM Rycroft: He snorts. "Go *back*? Are you kidding? Do you even know why we left?" 9:53:15 PM *** Group call, no answer. *** 9:53:24 PM Crow: Nope! Don't care, either. 9:54:46 PM Rycroft: Proto: Yours is not to reason why, eh? You are ordered to kill me, and so you have to kill me. Without knowing or caring why. 9:56:19 PM Crow: Okay, I'll bite. Haha, vampire joke, sorry. 9:56:34 PM Crow: Since you've been here, what have you done for the world? What you have built or made or created? 9:56:39 PM Crow: What good have *you* done? 9:56:54 PM Crow: Or have you just drained everybody a little bit, made everything just a little bit worse than it was when you got here? 10:03:27 PM Rycroft: Proto: Since I've been here? I've written seven marginally successful erotic fantasy novels, robbed a bank, worked in construction, even volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, and became a stage magician for awhile. 10:04:55 PM Crow: No way. 10:06:29 PM Rycroft: Proto: Which one are you expressing surprise at? 10:07:33 PM Crow: ... any of it, why did you rob a bank? 10:08:42 PM Rycroft: Proto: That was back in 1946. I realized I would need money. 10:08:55 PM Rycroft: Proto: I didn't want anything to do with my fellow escapees. 10:10:01 PM Crow: Well you could have tried *working.* 10:10:18 PM Crow: Look, I'm sorry, but I really *do* have to kill you. 10:10:22 PM Crow: Crow attacks him! 10:10:33 PM Rycroft: Proto: But *why*. 10:10:36 PM Rycroft: He *dodges*. 10:10:44 PM Rycroft: Proto: It has something to do with a song, I know that. 10:10:55 PM Crow: You're a vampire, I'm a vampire slayer, it's kind of a thing. 10:11:07 PM Crow: Crow grabs her other machete and flourishes them, then redoubles her attack! 10:12:32 PM Rycroft: You clip him in the arm. "Why are you a vampire slayer? How did you start? FAmily business?" 10:13:33 PM Crow: Fantastic dental. 10:14:48 PM Crow: And it gets you outside. 10:15:22 PM Rycroft: Proto: Tell me about the first vampire you killed. 10:16:43 PM Crow: Tall dark 'an handsome. 10:16:58 PM Crow: Real big on tearing throats out. 10:17:09 PM Crow: I cut his head off, it was pretty gross. 10:18:35 PM Rycroft: Proto: What did you do before that? Before the first vampire. What did you do? Did you sign up for this? Were you in the military, or the FBI or something? 10:24:08 PM Crow: Dancer. 10:25:28 PM Rycroft: Proto: Hula? 10:26:19 PM Crow: Pole. 10:27:20 PM Rycroft: Proto: Why is there a Hawaiian song just on repeat in your head? 10:27:41 PM Crow: Maybe I just like it, didja ever think of that? 10:28:17 PM Rycroft: Proto: Why does it get louder every time I ask you why you need to kill me? 10:28:43 PM Crow: Why are you groping my brainmeats? Because that's *creepy.* 10:29:04 PM Rycroft: Proto: You're trying to kill me. And there's something wrong with them. 10:29:30 PM Crow: That means you *fight* me, not ... grope around in my head, creeper. 10:30:05 PM Rycroft: Proto: I'm a pacifist. 10:30:29 PM Crow: Well good. Hold still, this won't hurt a bit. 10:30:33 PM Crow: Crow attacks him again. 10:31:44 PM Rycroft: Proto: We were poltical prisoners. The government of my world couldn't execute us without a major bruhaha. But if we escaped, and were killed by the savages of *your* world... clean hands, no martyrs. 10:34:01 PM Crow: Crow slashy-slashy-slices at him. 10:34:13 PM Crow: That's a great sob story you got there, are you an orphan too? 10:35:17 PM Rycroft: Proto: Just thought you should know *why* your masters say I should die. Because the leaders of my world are buying favors with your government. 10:35:43 PM Rycroft: You catch him in the throat! There's a lotta blood. And it stops him talking. 10:35:56 PM Crow: ... sorry. 10:36:15 PM Crow: They get off the island in the last episode. But then they end up on it all over again. ... sorry. 10:36:18 PM Crow: Crow chops his head off. 10:36:42 PM Rycroft: You get blood all over you. 10:37:09 PM Rycroft: A few moments later, another Bloodhound shows up, then a couple more. 10:37:13 PM Crow: ... goddammit. 10:37:23 PM Crow: Crow has to go throw up. She feels awful about this. 10:37:40 PM Crow: Crow has not considered that some vampire tales, chopping the head off is not enough. 10:38:49 PM Rycroft: One of the other bloodhounds pulls out a torch and is quickly burning his body. 10:39:13 PM Crow: Crow 's other programming kicks in and she attacks him. Or her. 10:39:31 PM Crow: Crow doesn't let him do that, dammit, that's her kill! HERS. 10:41:57 PM Rycroft: You run him through! From behind. He dies pretty instantly, falling over. The other two draw their weapons! 10:42:12 PM Crow: Mine. 10:42:23 PM Crow: Crow shoots them both in the head. 10:45:38 PM Rycroft: They stand ready for a moment! Just before you pull the trigger on the first though, though both kind of crumple to their knees like puppets with cut strings. Their fingers kind of spasming on the hilts of their weapons. 10:45:54 PM Crow: Crow boggles. 10:45:58 PM Crow: ... what the hell. 10:46:00 PM Crow: Crow looks around. 10:47:19 PM Rycroft: There's no one there! And the Protovampire is still very dead. The other two Bloodhounds are super easy to kill now, though. 10:47:51 PM Crow: Crow shoots them both in the head, execution style. 10:47:57 PM Crow: Crow then checks on the protovampire. 10:49:39 PM Rycroft: Dead. 10:49:47 PM Rycroft: Not moving. 10:53:05 PM Crow: Crow ponders this. 10:53:13 PM Crow: You guys are supposed to be more powerful than ordinary vampires. 10:53:37 PM Crow: Crow drags one of the hunter's bleeding corpses over and tries to dribble some blood on the dead vamp. 10:55:51 PM Rycroft: You move one them -- their helmet comes off, revealing a young woman. There's music coming from her helmet-communicator, sounds like some old french folk song. 10:56:20 PM Crow: Crow ignores it, and tries to get the blood near the vampire. Ew, feeding vampires. 10:56:32 PM Rycroft: AS you're dribbling blood, Jensen's voice comes over your comm. "Status." 10:56:57 PM Crow: Um. Complete success, can you give me a few minutes, though, please? I want to do some looting. 10:57:32 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Did you engage with the protovampire? 10:58:50 PM Crow: Yep, and he's all dead. 10:59:03 PM Crow: Crow dribbles some blood on him and puts the head back near the body! 10:59:11 PM Crow: Crow feels really bad about this. All of it. 11:00:49 PM Rycroft: Jensen: How long will it take you to get back up to the surface? 11:01:03 PM Crow: Fifteen minutes if you quit bugging me. 11:01:17 PM Crow: Crow watches the vampire hopefully. 11:02:26 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Be up on the surface in twenty. Burn all the bodies. 11:02:34 PM Crow: Yeah. 11:02:42 PM Crow: Crow keeps watching. 11:05:22 PM Rycroft: The Proto-vampire's hand twitches. 11:05:42 PM Crow: Crow smiles. 11:06:01 PM Crow: Crow makes sure her voicelink is turned off. 11:06:03 PM Crow: Yesssss. Thank you, television. 11:06:53 PM Rycroft: His blood starts to kinda move on its own. Very slowly, though. 11:08:05 PM Crow: That's... not gonna be fast enough. 11:08:29 PM Crow: Crow gets out one of her hunting knives and cuts her own arm open, holding it over the less-dead vamp's mouth. 11:08:33 PM Crow: Ow-ow-ow. 11:09:33 PM Rycroft: This does seem to speed up the process. The blood seems to congeal a bit. Five minutes have gone by. 11:09:47 PM Crow: Crow is so glad she lied. 11:09:55 PM Crow: Can you get up yet? 11:10:15 PM Crow: Are you even awake? Because you're just gonna get killed again if you don't get up. 11:13:28 PM Crow: Come on, come *on.* 11:14:09 PM Crow: Crow takes a moment to burn all the bodies. Of course, the vamp is alive now so he's no longer a body. 11:17:33 PM Rycroft: ((Brb)) 11:37:10 PM Rycroft: You burn em! Two guys, one gal. 11:37:36 PM Rycroft: Another five minutes go by. the Protovamp seems to be... melting. 11:38:27 PM Crow: ... what the hell? Dude, I'm supposed to be up there in ten minutes. 11:38:33 PM Crow: If you don't pull yourself together we're both gonna die. 11:41:54 PM Rycroft: All the bits of him have congealed into one giant puddle of blood, head and body. And now that puddle of blood seems to be forming into a new body. He's cutting it very close, though. 11:42:15 PM Crow: Be quiet for a minute. 11:43:34 PM Crow: Crow turns her voicelink back on. "Hey, I'm gonna need a few more minutes, okay? I found a bunch of books, I need to bag them up." 11:44:58 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Hurry it up, we're on the clock here. 11:46:03 PM Crow: Okay okay, just give me fifteen more minutes, okay? Geez. 11:49:47 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Dammit, Crow, there is a crew coming to collapse the silo in twenty. 11:50:51 PM Crow: Well stall them, I have to pee, okay?! I'm a girl, I can't just find a bucket and whip it out! 11:51:04 PM Crow: Crow uses her trump card! Girl plumbing. 11:51:47 PM Rycroft: JEnsen: Which is it Crow? Books or bathroom? I can't 'stall' them. It's over my head. 11:52:56 PM Crow: Bathroom, dumbass, I was trying not to embarass you! Wuthering Heights isn't that hard to get. And yes you can, *do* it. 11:52:58 PM Crow: Crow clicks off. 11:58:36 PM Rycroft: The blood becomes more and more human-shaped. Arms, legs. 11:59:08 PM Crow: Dude, hurry *up.* 11:59:18 PM Crow: They're gonna bomb the freakin' building, you asshole. 11:59:37 PM Crow: Is there a back door out? 11:59:59 PM Rycroft: There are several entrances besides the one you came in, yeah. 12:00:37 AM Crow: Crow tries to grab the blood-thing. "Come *on*." 12:00:48 AM Crow: ((Which way out is quickest?)) 12:02:35 AM Rycroft: He's squishy. Like jello! "Have you ever reconstituted yourself after being beheaded?" 12:04:26 AM Crow: No! But I'm gonna have to try if we get bombed to smithereens, and by the way I'm human and humans *can't do that.* 12:04:28 AM Crow: Come *on.* 12:04:36 AM Crow: Crow tries to tug him, anyway. 12:05:10 AM Rycroft: The voice kinda comes form his direction. He doesn't have a mouth. "Could do it faster if I had more blood." 12:07:27 AM Crow: Crow brings him a dead hunter. "Go, but please *hurry.*" 12:07:53 AM Rycroft: "Dead blood is useless." 12:08:19 AM Crow: Crow growls at him, but offers her bleeding arm. 12:09:27 AM Rycroft: The blood drops onto him and gets absorbed. This seems to speed up the process even more, as the blood-red gives way to pale flesh. Naked pale flesh! 12:09:33 AM Rycroft: Proto: ... why? 12:09:57 AM Crow: Why what? Hurry *up.* 12:10:25 AM Rycroft: Proto: Why did you do this? 12:12:46 AM Crow: I *told* you, I'm a vampire slayer. It's what I do. 12:12:56 AM Crow: Crow grabs him and tries to tug him to the nearest exit that isn't the front door. 12:13:45 AM Rycroft: Proto: No, i mean, save me. 12:14:29 AM Crow: Well... you *are* a pacifist. 12:14:46 AM Crow: That was the most bullshitty part of your statement, so chances are at least some of the other bits are true too. 12:15:24 AM Rycroft: Proto: ... Go. I can get out of here under my own power. 12:15:52 AM Crow: Maybe you didn't hear the part where they're *bombing the whole freaking silo.* 12:16:10 AM Rycroft: Proto: I'll be fine. Go. 12:19:16 AM Crow: ... fine. 12:19:23 AM Crow: Crow grabs Wuthering Heights and gets the hell out of there. 12:20:17 AM Rycroft: He calls after you. "Thank you." 12:21:54 AM Crow: Don't fucking get caught again! 12:21:58 AM Crow: Crow runs out. 12:22:23 AM Rycroft: You get back up to the surface and find the chopper waiting for you. 12:23:37 AM Crow: Crow hustles in with a sigh. 12:27:35 AM Rycroft: Jensen hustles you in and the helicopter takes off! 12:27:59 AM Rycroft: Jensen: I need an informal report. What did you find? 12:29:09 AM Crow: I found the protovampire, and I ripped him apart. 12:29:14 AM Crow: He was real slippery but I got him. 12:29:25 AM Crow: ... then the other hunters showed up and I executed them. It was disturbing. 12:29:35 AM Rycroft: Jensen: Why? 12:29:37 AM Crow: I was disturbed. I'm still disturbed. 12:29:45 AM Crow: They just kinda... stopped moving and let me kill them. 12:31:38 AM Rycroft: Jensen: You didn't talk to it, did you? 12:33:02 AM Crow: Little bit. I spoiled Gilligan's Island for him before I tore his head off. 12:33:04 AM Crow: Crow grins. 12:33:39 AM Rycroft: He frowns. "What exactly did it say to you?" 12:34:31 AM Crow: Oh, it asked me not to spoil the show and it thought they were gonna get off the island! If you can believe *that.* 12:37:46 AM Rycroft: Jensen: And that's it? 12:38:59 AM Crow: Nah, we did some more witty banter. 12:39:06 AM Crow: The usual. Gimme my chocolate, dammit. 12:41:09 AM Rycroft: He rubs his eyes. "There's a call for a lot more oversight on Bloodhound activities. Helmet cams, eyes on you 24/7. The three you killed today were compromised -- too many memory wipes. Their handlers were finding them more and more erratic and hard to handle. I'm trying to prove to them that you're *not* like that. 12:41:58 AM Crow: Well, I'm not. 12:42:05 AM Crow: ... and you always bring me a candy bar. 12:43:29 AM Rycroft: Jensen: Hell, I'm trying to convince them that you *don't* need to be scrubbed. You mouthing off and talking back to me on a probably monitored line doesn't help my case. 12:43:36 AM Rycroft: He hands over a hershey bar. 12:45:23 AM Crow: Crow opens it and offers him half, like always. 12:45:26 AM Crow: But I *always* do that. 12:45:31 AM Crow: Crow can't help but sound a little bit hurt. 12:45:36 AM Crow: I get the job done, don't I? 12:47:44 AM Rycroft: He takes it. "You do. But 343 has a new Chief. And every time there's a new Chief, they want to make a bunch of changes and shape the department *their* way. 12:48:02 AM Crow: But I *like* teasing you. 12:48:07 AM Crow: Crow nibbles her chocolate. 12:48:17 AM Crow: Crow sounds terribly hurt. She is, in fact, rather hurt. 12:51:25 AM Rycroft: His expression softens. "I know. And I know you respect me and follow orders. So I'm asking you -- please. Play things by the book. 'Yes, sir' 'No, sir' while we're in the field. Long enough for the new Chief to be satisfied with your results. I don't care what you say to me when it's just us... but for the next little while, on missions... it's not just us." 12:52:42 AM Crow: That sucks. Okay. 12:54:13 AM Rycroft: He relaxes a bit. "Thanks." 12:57:12 AM Crow: Don't use the music on me anymore. It freaks me out. 12:58:40 AM Rycroft: Jensen: ... I was ordered to. And it has to be done. But... it won't be me who does it anymore. That's all I can promise. 12:59:12 AM Crow: They just stood there and let me kill them, okay? It was freaky. 1:00:52 AM Crow: I don't wanna go out that way. 1:00:52 AM Rycroft: Jensen: You know the conditioning is important. 1:01:15 AM Rycroft: JEnsen: You won't. 1:01:57 AM Crow: It's not, like.... honorable. 1:03:54 AM Rycroft: Jensen: No, no it's not. 1:06:09 AM Crow: I know I don't have a retirement plan or anything, but could you just... make sure I get swarmed to death by angry vampires or something? 1:08:28 AM Rycroft: Jensen: You haven't paid into that plan at all. I might be able to swing 'desperate holding action until you can manually set off a bomb' for you, though. 1:10:54 AM Crow: Just not kneeling helplessly. 1:12:43 AM Rycroft: Jensen: No. 1:13:58 AM Crow: Thanks. 1:23:27 AM Rycroft: Jensen nibbles at his melty chocolate. 1:23:29 AM Crow: Did I mention I kinda love you? 'cause I do. 1:23:33 AM Crow: Crow leans on him a little bit. 1:28:03 AM Rycroft: Jensen: I'm an awful person. You wouldn't like me as much if you knew more people. 1:28:35 AM Crow: How are you awful? You're my friend. 1:30:24 AM Rycroft: Jensen: You wouldn't like me as much if you new me better, either. 1:30:47 AM Crow: Why, do you fart a lot? 1:32:15 AM Rycroft: Jensen. Yes. 1:32:37 AM Crow: Crow giggles. 1:32:46 AM Crow: Hey, you do right by me, that's all that matters, right? 1:36:37 AM Rycroft: Jensen: ... I try. 1:37:26 AM Crow: ... something's eatin' you. What is it? 1:40:13 AM Rycroft: Jensen: Just a long day. Nothing like getting chewed out by the new boss. 1:40:53 AM Crow: ... you got chewed out? What for? Shit, I'm sorry, it was me, wasn't it. I'm sorry. 1:45:39 AM Rycroft: Jensen: It's the new chief. He comes from military black ops. He doesn't know what the handler-agent thing is like, he expects you all to be soldiers. 1:46:31 AM Crow: Oh. ... god, I'm... not a soldier, Jensen. I don't think I can do that. 1:47:33 AM Rycroft: Jensen: Like I said. Just toe the line for a couple missions. Till he sees our success rate. he's just trying to make his own mark on 343. 1:48:52 AM Crow: Okay. .... well, I'm sorry you got yelled at. 1:49:19 AM Rycroft: Jensen: It's stressful, but I've been yelled at by better. 1:52:38 AM Crow: I'll try to be less fun. We should have a code for "Someone is listening in." 1:55:20 AM Rycroft: You suddenly get hit with an odd sense of deja vu. 1:56:08 AM Crow: ... woah, deja vu. 1:56:50 AM Rycroft: Jensen looks at you. "Hmm?" 1:58:42 AM Crow: ... have I been blanked out before? 2:00:03 AM Rycroft: Jensen: Not that I know of. I... suppose it's possible. Usually a new handler is assigned after a memory wipe. 2:00:43 AM Crow: Makes sense. 2:08:44 AM Crow: Well, think of a code for "someone's listening in." 2:08:52 AM Crow: You know, so I know to behave. 2:12:02 AM Rycroft: Jensen: I don't know when they're listening. I could be wrong. But when I strongly suspect, I'll say something I don't normally say. I know. I'll mention the temperature. 2:12:53 AM Crow: Crow snrks. 2:13:00 AM Crow: Sounds good. 2:15:09 AM Crow: ... sweetcheeks. 2:15:53 AM Rycroft: Jensen: But I won't always know. Safe to assume we're always being eavesdropped on until the new Chief is satisfied. 2:16:36 AM Crow: But what if I wanna get you alooooone. 2:17:35 AM Rycroft: He rolls his eyes. 2:18:02 AM Crow: ... seriously. 2:19:10 AM Rycroft: Jensen: As far as I know, my office isn't bugged. 2:22:17 AM Crow: That's the *most* likely place to be bugged, Jensen. 2:22:52 AM Rycroft: Jensen: I don't know. We shouldn't be conspiring like this so much. 2:24:02 AM Crow: What if I just wanna talk? 2:25:09 AM Rycroft: Jensen: Helicopter rides are the best time. Too much ambient noise to bug. 2:25:59 AM Crow: Are we assassinating political prisoners? 2:26:21 AM Rycroft: Jensen: What? 2:28:18 AM Crow: Well, this vampire said we were assassinating political prisoners because his government had an agreement with ours, so they shove their political prisoners through and we kill them for them. 2:32:20 AM Rycroft: Jensen frowns. "I've never heard anything of the sort. Just that they're dangerous. And we've seen plenty of evidence that they are." 2:33:05 AM Crow: And some are pretty bad eggs. 2:35:02 AM Crow: Most of 'em. 2:35:32 AM Rycroft: Jensen: He didn't try to control your mind or anything, did he? 2:36:14 AM Crow: Nope. 2:36:30 AM Crow: I can always tell when they do that, it feels like a swarm of gnats in your head. 2:37:10 AM Rycroft: Jensen nods. "This is the first Protovampire we've come across in a decade. They'll want to know as much as you can tell them." 2:39:00 AM Crow: Well I'm not tellin' them that. 2:39:55 AM Rycroft: Jensen frowns. "Let's just hope they don't think you're holding anything back. They might send you to Doc." 2:40:47 AM Crow: Does anything happen to you if I'm really bad? 2:41:27 AM Rycroft: Jensen: Probably not. I've worked damned hard to make myself valuable. 2:42:19 AM Rycroft: Jensen: Just... try not to be really bad. 2:42:19 AM Crow: Good. 2:42:27 AM Crow: Hehehe. Would I do that? 2:42:56 AM Rycroft: Jensen: If you thought you could get away with it? Yes. 2:46:54 AM Crow: You know me so well. 2:46:56 AM Crow: Crow grins. 2:50:46 AM Rycroft: Jensen: I ought to. 2:51:01 AM Rycroft: Jensen: It's my job to know you well. 2:53:06 AM Crow: That and you looooove me. 2:55:19 AM Rycroft: Jensen: It would be too much of a pain to train a new Bloodhound. 2:55:40 AM Crow: Plus you looooove me. 2:56:15 AM Rycroft: Jensen: An aversion to inconvenience is *like* love. 2:58:16 AM Crow: You know what else is like love? 2:58:23 AM Crow: Looooooooove. 10:07:10 PM Rycroft: So! You return to base. 10:07:57 PM Crow: Crow does! But not without telling him she needs to speak with him *alone* and *secretly.* 10:08:48 PM Rycroft: Jensen: I'll see what I can do. 10:09:07 PM Crow: Somewhere I can *talk dirty* to you. 10:12:18 PM Rycroft: Jensen: I'll see what I can do. 10:13:39 PM Crow: You don't have a romantic bone in your body, Jensen. Oh well, I can lend you some of mine. 10:15:52 PM Rycroft: Jensen sighs and walks off! You have the rest of the night off. 10:16:37 PM Crow: Crow is a sociable person but has been here long enough to have been "persuaded" into solitude. 10:16:51 PM Crow: Crow therefore gets that chocolate cheesecake and goes to read in the tub! 10:19:24 PM Rycroft: Does she eat in the tub, or one after the other? 10:19:59 PM Crow: Crow eats first! Then reads in the tub. 10:20:11 PM Crow: Crow keeps truffles by the tub, though, dammit. 10:23:00 PM Rycroft: What does she read? 10:23:51 PM Crow: Crow reads the Wuthering Heights that she grabbed. 10:25:18 PM Rycroft: There are a bunch of notes in the margins. Protovamp had trouble understanding the people in the novel, apparently. 10:26:05 PM Crow: Crow shakes her head. "This isn't a romance, it's about vile people doing vile things vilely. Ugh." 10:26:29 PM Crow: Crow picks up his copy of Jane Eyre instead! You didn't mention that but that was probably there, right? >.> 10:27:52 PM Rycroft: That seems to be where he was getting confused! He didn't understand how anyone in the book was admirable or romantic. 10:29:31 PM Crow: ((Totally not because I love Jane Eyre and hate Wuthering.)) 10:33:16 PM Rycroft: Well, he had one in any case! 10:34:22 PM Crow: Crow goes with that one, and starts reading, curious what the vampire has to say about the horrible Reed child and the terrible school and the romantic (?) hero. 10:35:00 PM Rycroft: He apparently never finished it. There are not as many notes. 10:35:49 PM Crow: Crow thinks maybe he'll want it back some day. 10:36:16 PM Crow: Crow settles down for a nice damp read, and when she's done, tosses the book aside and washes her hair, getting ready for bed. 10:39:40 PM Rycroft: Nothing untoward happens! But you do have some nightmares. 10:40:30 PM Crow: Crow tries to remember them! 10:42:50 PM Rycroft: Who was teh first vampire she ever killed? 10:45:24 PM Crow: Crow .. the first one she remembers, was a fairly nasty specimen who had a lot of thralls and he didn't treat them well. He lived in a cave with them all and liked to terrorize people in the neighboring towns. 10:49:05 PM Rycroft: She remembers him. She sees herself killing him, but this time, she sees it from the vampire's point of view. She even feels herself kill 'herself'. 10:49:41 PM Crow: Crow wakes up from that shivering. 10:52:19 PM Rycroft: It doesn't end there, though. You don't just see yourself kill the vampire, you see yourself incapacitate the vampire. Then you see a cleanup crew come along after you and strap the vampire down to a gurney. You're still seeing things from the vampire's point of view, here. You see Doc come in as part of the cleanup crew, talking to you. Then you see her lead you out of the cave. You're walking like a sleepwalker, and she puts a hand on your shoulder to steady you, leaning in and murmuring into your ear, apparently. You can't hear what she's saying. 10:52:58 PM Rycroft: Then you and her disappear into the chopper and the vampire is shoved into a coffin-like box for transport. 10:53:06 PM Crow: Crow frowns. 10:57:44 PM Rycroft: You're apparently still in vampire-vision, as you feel the chopper shudder around you in your black box. An indeterminate amount of time goes by. You're occasionally taken out of the box to be poked and prodded. You're kept subdued by a constant IV feed of some kind of drug or poison. Occasionally they cut bits out of you. IT always grows back, of course. You're given *just* enough blood to live and heal. 11:00:09 PM Crow: Crow is horrified. 11:02:20 PM Crow: Crow definitely wakes up shivering, then. 11:02:32 PM Rycroft: Yep. 11:03:59 PM Crow: Crow briefly considers calling Jensen, but *knows* that would look suspicious. So she tries to read again for a bit and then go back to sleep! 11:05:12 PM Rycroft: Yep. It's about three in the morning. 11:07:33 PM Rycroft: You fall asleep again! You find yourself in a lab again. But it's not you in vampire-vision anymore, it's just you. Looks like the lab where they do your physical exams. 11:08:36 PM Crow: Crow frowns again. 11:21:56 PM Rycroft: Doc is there, reading something off a tablet. Your song is playing over the speakers in the room, keeping you subdued, spacy, and suggestible. You have those sticky monitor things stuck to your temples and she's taking, you dunno, brain readings. Doc is mostly talking to herself. "Hmmm. Hmmm. Hmmm. Iiiiiiiiiinteresting. You're developing a very troublesome resistance to the drugs, dear. Which means we'll have to step up the hypno-conditioning. I'm going to have a white-noise device put in your room so that you get a full dose of subliminals every night! That should delay your inevitable mindscrub..." 11:23:02 PM Crow: ... shit. 11:23:06 PM Crow: Crow wills herself to wake up. 11:23:24 PM Rycroft: You do! 11:23:34 PM Crow: Crow shudders and calls Jensen. 11:24:56 PM Rycroft: He answers. "Hrrm? Whoozit?" 11:25:08 PM Crow: It's your girlfriend. Duh. 11:26:06 PM Rycroft: Jensen: What is it? 11:26:41 PM Crow: ... I had a nightmare and I wanted to talk to you about it. Somewhere where it isn't so hot. 11:27:13 PM Rycroft: Jensen: ... all right. Tennis courts. I'll be there in ten. 11:27:30 PM Crow: I'm all... sweaty and gross. Okay. I hope there's a breeze or something. ... maybe I'll take a cool shower later. 11:28:02 PM Crow: Crow hangs up, gets her shoes on and heads out. She *is* all sweaty and gross but hey, he's seen her in rougher shape. 11:29:25 PM Rycroft: You go to the tennis courts! There is a slight breeze outside. Jensen is there smoking. 11:29:50 PM Crow: I hear that's bad for you. 11:30:40 PM Rycroft: Jensen: What isn't? 11:32:19 PM Crow: Me! 11:32:35 PM Crow: Crow hugs him, actually. That's not that unusual; she's had some bad experiences too. 11:32:47 PM Rycroft: Jensen: You're the reason I smoke, so. 11:33:06 PM Crow: Crow says in a low voice, partly muffled by his shoulder: Bullshit. Also you should quit. I need to get out. 11:38:35 PM Rycroft: Jensen: ... what? 11:39:17 PM Crow: Smoking, you're gonna get cancer and die and then who would bring me chocolate? 11:41:00 PM Rycroft: Jensen: You didn't bring your phone, did you? 11:41:07 PM Crow: No. 11:41:31 PM Crow: I want out. I need to get out. But I wanna keep killin' bad vampires. ... and I think there might be some good ones. 11:42:05 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Why now? 11:42:35 PM Crow: Because I brought that vamp from earlier today back to life after I killed him. He said he was a pacifist and he let me cut his head off, so I felt bad. 11:43:02 PM Crow: He doesn't get literature. 11:43:08 PM Crow: At all. 11:43:08 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Well, shit. 11:43:21 PM Crow: Yeah. You should come with me, I need you. 11:44:11 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Have you thought that *maybe* the ancient eldritch abomination did something to your head? 11:44:25 PM Crow: Nope. I'd know. 11:44:45 PM Crow: Doc's the only one doing things to my head. And I don't like it and I want to get out. 11:45:38 PM Rycroft: Jensen: These protovamps, we don't know their powers. Could feel totally different. 11:46:05 PM Crow: No one would fake being that much of a dork, Jensen. 11:46:14 PM Crow: He thought they were *getting off the island.* 11:47:12 PM Rycroft: Jensen: ... I need a better reason than that. 11:48:05 PM Crow: He said we were killing political prisoners too, remember? 11:48:23 PM Crow: ... but mostly I want to keep killing them, but I want to make sure they're *dead.* The bad ones. Most of them are bad, right? 11:49:01 PM Crow: And they said I was getting resistant to the drugs so they're going to have to use more mindcontrol stuff. 11:50:01 PM Rycroft: He walks a few steps away, pacing a bit. 11:50:22 PM Crow: I need out. 11:54:54 PM Rycroft: Jensen: I think you're nuts. But... 11:55:32 PM Crow: But what? 12:02:03 AM Rycroft: Jensen: But they're going to find out you let the Proto live. Next time Doc puts you under, you'll tell her. And chances are they won't just scrub you, they'll kill you for being too much of a liability. Or worse. 12:02:14 AM Rycroft: Jensen: So. Yes, you need to get out. 12:02:34 AM Crow: Yeah, I kinda figured. 12:02:45 AM Crow: ... he was adorkable, what can I say. 12:05:29 AM Rycroft: Jensen rubs his eyes. "Okay. Okay. I have to make some calls. Go back to bed. We'll talk tomorrow. 12:06:15 AM Crow: You're gonna come up with a plan, right? 12:06:50 AM Rycroft: Jensen: You're a damn pain in my ass, but that's not a capital offense. 12:07:11 AM Rycroft: Jensen: Yeah. 12:07:31 AM Crow: Okay. 12:07:33 AM Crow: ... thanks. 12:07:46 AM Crow: Crow hugs him again, and heads back to her room. She does take a cool shower. 6:19:37 PM Rycroft: Yep. Jensen had said he was going to try and work something out. 6:21:22 PM Crow: Crow hopes he comes up with something good! He usually does. 8:10:22 PM Rycroft: You get a phone call at about seven in the morning. 8:13:55 PM Crow: Crow swears, and answers it. 8:16:05 PM | Edited 8:16:10 PM Crow: Yeah? 8:16:46 PM Rycroft: It's Jensen. "Gear up, got a mission for you. Be ready to move out in an hour. And dress warm, it's a cold one." 8:17:45 PM Crow: Goddamn it. 8:17:51 PM Rycroft: Jensen: And it might take awhile. Pack up. 8:18:00 PM Crow: Okay, but I'm bringing my book. To put over my eyes. In case there's time for a nap. 8:18:29 PM Crow: ... I was just *out.* Geez. 8:18:33 PM Crow: I don't even get one day? 8:19:40 PM Crow: Crow thinks he's worked something out. 8:19:50 PM Crow: Crow , however, always whines, so she has to whine this time too. 8:19:50 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Fraid not. We'll try and have you back by tomorrow. The management has scheduled an appointment with Doc for you tomorrow. 8:20:15 PM Crow: Oh *great.* Something else to look forward to. 8:20:22 PM Crow: See you soon. 8:21:45 PM Rycroft: Jensen hangs up. 8:22:09 PM Crow: Crow grumps, and eats another truffle, then gets ready, bringing Jane Eyre with her. 8:24:55 PM Rycroft: So what all are you taking with you? Jensen told you to pack. 8:25:22 PM Rycroft: If he means for this to be when you get away, you won't be back here again. 8:25:52 PM Crow: Crow packs as if she were just going on a normal mission. Lots of weapons, one spare outfit, plus the book. She doesn't have a lot of stuff anyway, honestly. She doesn't even bring her phone. 8:28:14 PM Rycroft: Okay! 8:28:53 PM Rycroft: Jensen meets you at the chopper. 8:30:28 PM Crow: Crow grumps at him. 8:30:50 PM Crow: This better be good. And involve lots of chocolate. 8:31:10 PM Rycroft: He nods. "Get in." 8:31:40 PM Crow: Crow sighs and hops in. 8:32:57 PM Rycroft: Jensen: We don't have a lot of time. 8:33:10 PM Rycroft: He goes into the cockpit and starts the engine. There's no pilot. 8:34:23 PM Crow: Is it now? Is it hot? 8:38:46 PM Rycroft: Jensen: I wasn't lying about Doc -- the brass wants a full hypno-debrief on you concerning the Proto, every little thing you noticed about it. So here's what's going to happen. The Proto compromised you. You stole a helicopter to run away, but not before I tried to stop you and barely escaped. 8:39:35 PM Crow: You're not coming with me? 8:39:51 PM Rycroft: Jensen: No. 8:39:58 PM Crow: ... oh. 8:40:02 PM Crow: Okay. 8:40:43 PM Crow: Crow gets big teary eyes. 8:40:48 PM Rycroft: Jensen: It's best if I stay on the inside. 8:40:51 PM Crow: Crow is not a very good stone-cold assassin. 8:42:21 PM Rycroft: He points to a knapsack. "I'll be in touch. I can help keep them off you if I stay here. I'll get demoted, they'll probably put me on a desk job. But they won't toss someone with my security clearance aside. I'll be safe, and be in a better position to keep you safe. Take that stuff." 8:43:52 PM Crow: ... are you sure? I don't know if I can keep *you* safe from outside. 8:45:46 PM Rycroft: Jensen: I'll be fine. I'm a 51-year old middle-manager, not an expensive superhuman vampire exterminator. However, I am a middle-manager who knows a lot of stuff. I'll be fine. 8:47:14 PM Crow: ... okay, just... get out if you have to. 8:47:20 PM Crow: Crow takes his hand and squeezes it. 8:47:40 PM Rycroft: Jensen: If I have to, I will, don't worry. 8:48:54 PM Crow: Okay. 8:49:01 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Now, without the continual reinforcement,I don't know what's going to happen to your programming. Expect mental weirdness. 8:49:12 PM Crow: ... what kind of mental weirdness? 8:49:15 PM Crow: Will I think I'm a hat? 8:49:22 PM Crow: Or start eating pencils? 8:49:34 PM Rycroft: Jensen: No idea. 8:49:34 PM Crow: Or dance the samba naked on a table? ... nah, I'd do that anyway. 8:50:51 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Oh, and try to avoid Hawaiian songs, obviously. 8:51:11 PM Crow: ... right. 8:51:19 PM Crow: No ukeleles. 8:54:10 PM Rycroft: Jensen: ... okay. When I say go, you punch me. I scramble away from you, terrified, and flee the helicopter. You get into the cockpit, fly away, tear out the transponder -- I marked it with a sharpie under the console. Once you get a good distance away, ditch the helicopter somehow, then go in the opposite direction. Exploding it would be best. I got you some fresh clothes -- you'll have to ditch all your equipment, too. Never know where there's a tracking device. 8:54:50 PM Crow: ... wait, what's my motivation? Why would I punch you? 8:55:23 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Because when I noticed you were going rogue I tried to stop you. 8:56:03 PM Rycroft: Jensen: You didn't kill me because your programming prevents that. 8:56:08 PM Crow: Oh, right. 8:56:22 PM Crow: Or because I looooove you. 8:56:57 PM Crow: Crow checks her book for a tracking device. 8:58:32 PM Rycroft: That's probably safe! you took that from the vampire. 8:58:56 PM Crow: Right. 8:59:12 PM Crow: Ready when you are. ... hey, what *is* your first name, anyway? 8:59:50 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Albert. 9:00:28 PM Crow: No way. 9:01:16 PM Rycroft: Jensen: That's it. 9:02:17 PM Crow: Wow. 9:02:31 PM Crow: Albert. ... well I'm not calling you that, it sounds like you're in forth grade and have cokebottle lenses. 9:02:38 PM Crow: I'll try to hit you hard enough to look real! 9:03:30 PM Rycroft: Jensen nods, and pulls out his gun, shooting a bulkhead a couple of times. "Good luck. Go." 9:04:40 PM Crow: Crow smacks him in the face, twice, actually. Once to break his nose, which will yield a lot of nice blood, and once to give him a nice black eye. 9:06:03 PM Rycroft: He flails backwards and opens the chopper's side door, scrambling out! It's on! 9:06:48 PM Crow: Crow grabs a gun and shoots near him a couple of times. "AND DON'T COME BACK. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GIVE ME PEANUT BUTTER IN MY CHOCOLATE, FUCKER." 9:06:58 PM Crow: Crow takes the helicopter and flees! 9:08:41 PM Rycroft: He scowls. He doesn't think that's what a compromised vampire hunter would say, apparently. You take the choppa! You watch him out the window going to report to a guard. 9:09:10 PM Crow: Crow gets the hell out of there, as fast as the machine will go. 9:09:53 PM Rycroft: Do you pull out the tranponder? He did mark it in sharpie. 9:10:26 PM Crow: Crow does, and drops out all her other stuff that she brought too, minus the book. 9:13:20 PM Rycroft: Okay! 9:13:41 PM Crow: Crow is a little bit rusty at flying the helicopter. 9:14:38 PM Rycroft: Well, the autopilot does a lot of the work. And you're not going anywhere in particular, either. Just pick a direction! 9:15:24 PM Crow: Crow takes a hard right and runs it! 9:29:08 PM Rycroft: Okay! How far do you go before you set the chopper down? 9:29:32 PM Crow: Crow gets well, *well* out of sight of the base. 9:31:26 PM Rycroft: Easy enough! 9:32:38 PM Crow: Crow tries to find a place where it won't be easy to see. 9:33:12 PM Crow: Crow then grabs her book and the pack and stuff Jensen left for her, and starts running along a diagonal line, back a bit toward the base but also away a bit. 9:36:01 PM Rycroft: He left you some explosives! You can destroy the copter. 9:36:29 PM Crow: Crow doesn't, that'll create a smoke cloud. She wants to make them hunt for that too. She does tear some vital parts out of its motor, though. 9:37:03 PM Rycroft: Easy enough. 9:38:42 PM Crow: Crow takes none with her, but throws some into the brush and hides others inside the helicopter in unlikely places. 9:38:50 PM Crow: Crow then starts the hell runnin'. 9:39:37 PM Rycroft: I assume she changes into the civies that Jensen packed. All of which are apparently fresh from Wal Mart, judging by the tags. 9:40:03 PM Crow: Cheap bastard. 9:40:11 PM Crow: Crow actually would shop there anyway, to tell the truth. 9:40:19 PM Crow: Crow does take the tags off, though. And runs. 9:41:13 PM Rycroft: Chances are it's because he used cash. 9:41:37 PM Rycroft: Okay! you run through the arid wastes a bit until you hit a small town. 9:43:38 PM Crow: Crow skirts the town and keeps going, trying to avoid being seen by anyone there. 9:44:33 PM Rycroft: You can do that. 9:45:12 PM Rycroft: You find a road! 9:46:30 PM Crow: Crow slows down a bit, because now she's just a hiker. Yep yep. Hikin'. She has her backpack and she's just out and about enjoying a solitary hike. Probably she'll toast marshmallows next to a tent at night! Only not, because she doesn't have marshmallows or a tent and she's not going to stop anywhere for at least a day. 9:49:52 PM Rycroft: Jensen left you a burn phone, a change of clothes, a 10 pack of Hersheys bars, two water bottles, a handgun, a knife, and 3000 dollars cash. 9:51:23 PM Crow: ... bless you, Jens. 9:51:44 PM Rycroft: He was a very good handler! 9:54:33 PM Rycroft: You could easily buy a tent. 9:55:33 PM Crow: Crow might if she finds another town. 9:57:58 PM Rycroft: You do! A slightly bigger, Northern Cali town. 9:58:49 PM Crow: Crow looks for a store. 9:59:03 PM Rycroft: You find a Wal-Mart. 10:02:06 PM Crow: Crow goes in there and looks for a tent, some portable food and other camping supplies. ... while she's there she tries to feel out the clerk about anything vanishing or getting stolen in these parts. 10:02:13 PM Crow: Crow is thinking about her vampire friend. 10:02:38 PM Rycroft: Clerk: Not really. Nothing more than usual. 10:04:50 PM Crow: Ah, good. I'd hate for anything to happen to me out on the road. Nothin' else weird, huh? No Bigfoot about or anything? 10:07:06 PM Rycroft: Clerk: Maybe one or two bigfoots. 10:07:32 PM Crow: ... guess it's a good thing I took all those self-defense courses. 10:09:27 PM Rycroft: The clerk smiles. "They're more afraid of you than you are of them." 10:11:10 PM Crow: Crow grins. 10:11:19 PM Crow: I'll tell 'em you said that. Thanks! 10:11:33 PM Crow: Crow heads out, and starts out of town. 10:11:50 PM Rycroft: As you walk out, your cheapo phone rings. 10:13:01 PM Crow: Crow answers it. "Lisa's House of Love, how may I serve you, master?" 10:13:36 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Cute. 10:13:36 PM Rycroft: he sounds like someone broke his nose. 10:14:09 PM Crow: Huh, you sound like someone broke your nose. 10:14:38 PM Crow: ... sorry about that, by the way, but it's very painful and noses always bleed a lot. I figured it wouldn't be suspicious that way. 10:15:11 PM Rycroft: Jensen: No, it was a good call. 10:15:52 PM Crow: Did they give you tea and sympathy? 10:17:18 PM Rycroft: Jensen: No, painkillers and whisky. But I'm in the clear. 10:17:52 PM Crow: Good. I'd like to find the vamp I let go. 10:18:51 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Why? 10:19:21 PM Crow: He seemed nice, he owes me and I need a voice in my ear to keep slaying, and you're still on the inside, remember? 10:21:22 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Well. Good luck. It took a clairvoyant to find him last time. 10:24:03 PM Crow: Yeah, but that time he didn't want to be found. 10:24:07 PM Rycroft: Jensen: But you're serious about carrying on? 10:24:30 PM Crow: Yeah, why wouldn't I be? 10:24:33 PM Crow: These aren't nice people. 10:24:40 PM Crow: I just don't want my head fucked around with anymore. 10:25:53 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Well. I know some people that could help. 10:26:06 PM Crow: ... really? 10:26:15 PM Crow: ... have you done this *before*? 10:27:46 PM Rycroft: Jensen: No. But I have contacts outside 343. 10:28:17 PM Crow: If you're sure of them. Yeah, I could use some help. 10:30:27 PM Rycroft: Jensen: I'll see what I can do. 10:33:39 PM Crow: Okay. ... thanks. Stay safe. 10:34:57 PM Rycroft: Jensen: You too. I would do what you can to get to another part of the country quickly. 10:36:19 PM Crow: ... right. 10:36:26 PM Crow: Maybe I can rent a car. 10:36:38 PM Crow: Crow tries to remember if there's a fake ID in there. 10:37:42 PM Rycroft: ((Yep!)) 10:38:44 PM Crow: Right. I'll rent a car. 10:39:02 PM Crow: ... I wonder how I can *attract* a vampire. 10:39:25 PM Rycroft: Jensen: White flowing diaphonous dresses. 10:40:54 PM Crow: Only in fiction. And not this one. ... although he *does* like Gothic romance. Uh. I haven't worn a dress for 22 years. 10:42:26 PM Rycroft: Jensen: I wouldn't expect to find him unless he finds you first. 10:43:14 PM Crow: Yeah, that's... I'm just not sure how to let him find me without letting the bad guys. 10:43:23 PM Rycroft: Jensen: No idea. 10:43:58 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Wait. You said you saved his life. Did you give him your blood? 10:44:08 PM Crow: ... yeah? 10:44:28 PM Rycroft: Jensen: Maybe he can find you like that. 10:44:35 PM Crow: .. they can do that? 10:44:58 PM Rycroft: Jensens: Damned if I know. 10:45:22 PM Crow: Me either. 10:45:25 PM Crow: Well. Keep me posted. 10:45:39 PM Crow: Love ya, schnookie ookie ookums. 10:45:51 PM Crow: Crow hangs up so she doesn't have to listen to the gagging noises.